Twice-Dead King: Ruin is my top story of the year

[sitnam]

You know it's been a pretty good year for Black Library, atleast for my tastes as a non-Heresy reader. This story really tops it for me. Nate Crowley did a great job with Severed in really portraying the world from the Necron perspective. This story continues that work, and I love it.

 

It was paticulary refreshing in how the Imperium was viewed. We often see the galaxy from the Imperial perspective, but the Imperial war machine can be equally terrifying from the opposing perspective

 

Xenology is the best submind, in case anyone had any doubts

[Roomsky]

While the year’s not done yet, I have a hard time believing anything else will top my list, either. This book is fantastic, and it’s everything I wanted out of The Infinite and the Divine but didn’t get. This doesn’t just fall back on the “wacky necrons” trope, nor does it only use the strangeness of their situation as set dressing. Ruin is a book that really engages with the Necron mindset, and finally helped me understand why bio-transference is seen as such a curse by many of them. All the ways they resemble humans are used expertly to contrast their definite inhumanity, and the intricacies of their culture as interesting as they are unique.

 

And that’s atop the good prose, great cast, and all the standout moments both heartfelt and horrifying. Worst thing I can say about it is the ending is a little abrupt, but it just leaves me more than hungry for the sequel.

 

9.5/10

Go read it!

[sitnam]

The fact that GW has even announced a sequel prior to release must say they had a fair bit of faith in the story.

 

I loved I&D, both that's becaus Trazyn and Orikan are wacky, eccentric old men. I&D was a great story WITH Necrons in it, but because it focused on outlier characters it never really engaged with the same issues a typical Phaeton would. TDK is a great story ABOUT Necrons

[aa.logan]

If I say that I preferred Ghazghkull, not just in terms of Crowley but across BL in general, I hope I’m not damning this with faint praise- it is a wonderful book.

[sitnam]

If I say that I preferred Ghazghkull, not just in terms of Crowley but across BL in general, I hope I’m not damning this with faint praise- it is a wonderful book.

 

I'm just waiting for Ghazghkull to release on audible (assuming it gets an audio book), as this story sounds quite awesome. 

 

Crowley needs the attention he deserves, because I need more xenos stories. He mentioned Kroot in a WarCom article, and I would squawk like a bird if he got to write a Kroot story

[Fire Golem]

It would be nice if you could still buy a physical copy.

[Taliesin]

Indeed it would, but apparently asking for a book to still be in print 3 weeks after its released is just asking for something ridiculous.

 

I dont know a single other publisher who does this kind of stuff. Yet another example of a regular hardcover not being available unless you buy in the weekend of release.

[sitnam]

I forgot how many people don’t read ebooks or audio. I’m so focused on saving space that I only get physical books if it’s something special.

[Sothalor]

I forgot how many people don’t read ebooks or audio. I’m so focused on saving space that I only get physical books if it’s something special.

 

I vacillate back and forth on this; I've got an e-reader, but I prefer physical print mediums. For some reason, I find I actually retain information better when I read it from a physical book.

 

There's just something about the way everything comes together; words, formatting, individual pages, blocks of pages that just makes it all click in my brain. 

[aa.logan]

I forgot how many people don’t read ebooks or audio. I’m so focused on saving space that I only get physical books if it’s something special.

I ended up impatiently listening to the audiobook when the dispatch of the LE was delayed and I’m glad I did; the performance is great and added a lot to my enjoyment of it.

[Knockagh]

I forgot how many people don’t read ebooks or audio. I’m so focused on saving space that I only get physical books if it’s something special.

Digital books are something I just can’t get into. But I really relate to the space thing. I’m going for sell a pile of book pretty soon. Spent an afternoon sorting some out. Wishing I had kept some of the BL boxes now.

[Sothalor]

I feel you with the space problem.

[Umbros]

Only four chapters in, but this really is wonderful.

[grailkeeper]

I'm halfway through.

 

I'm a bit disappointed. It was overhyped. The infinite and the divine was leagues ahead of it.

[DukeLeto69]

I feel you with the space problem.

Yep! Virtually all my non BL books went into the loft due to space issues. But like others, I can’t get into e-books. I’m from the physical/tangible product generation, not this transient, intangible, virtual world (looks across at the huge vinyl and CD collection).

 

Hearing good things about this book. I tend not to but books from xenos POV but might pick this up.

Edited November 14, 2021 by DukeLeto69

[Knockagh]

If they made the books in the smaller format of the heresy/siege books I could got many many more on my shelves. The large books which most of the hardbacks come in are a nightmare to store

[Roomsky]

I'm halfway through.

 

I'm a bit disappointed. It was overhyped. The infinite and the divine was leagues ahead of it.

 

Care to elaborate? I found the opposite.

[grailkeeper]

 

I'm halfway through.

 

I'm a bit disappointed. It was overhyped. The infinite and the divine was leagues ahead of it.

 

Care to elaborate? I found the opposite.

 

 

 

Its a bit hard to elaborate. I don't hate it. There's nothing wrong with it as such. I particularly like the Imperium being the invading threat for a change.

 

But there's nothing that really jumps out and grab me. It'd be easier to elaborate if there were a load of things I hated or was passionately against. Instead I see everyone raving about the book but when I read it it was... ok. Not particularly memorable. I dislike some of the prose but not strongly. Severed was better. 

 

Infinite and the Divine  on the other hand was much more memorable. It lived up to the hype- even surpassed it. It's my no 1 Black Library book in a long time.

 

One small complaint I have is the difference between how Rath and Crowley handle time. Rath really shows how the Necrons see time differently to us. They have plays that last 20 years. Crowley's story revolves around events 300 years ago. From our perspective that's long. From the Imperiums perspective that's fairly short. From Rath's Necrons perspective it's nothing but from Crowley's its long. When I did the maths on the basis that 20 years is the equivalent of a 2 hour play  for us, it worked out as just over a day. I appreciate two authors are wide open to having two different takes and he doesnt have to be consistent with other authors, but I found Robert Rath's approach much more characterful. 

Was that the reason I was a bit disappointed with the book? No. Its trivial really, but is the only specific thing I can point to.

 

I just didnt like it very much and can't see how others did. Maybe if people point out the specifics of how they liked it I might change my mind. I hope they can as I want to enjoy it more.

Edited November 16, 2021 by grailkeeper

[Sothalor]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

At the end of the day, no matter how well a piece may or may not be crafted by whatever objective metrics that we (as best we can) use, there remains the fact that personal enjoyment, satisfaction, and preference are subjective and just that - personal.

 

Sometimes, you can appreciate that something is well-written, well-plotted, etc., but for whatever reason it just doesn't click with you. It happens.

[Roomsky]

 

-snip- 

 

 

Fair enough, to each their own. 

 

I was frustrated basically the whole way through Infinite and the Divine (though I still think it's good and will probably like it even more now that we have this) that the first big Necron work was about two old guys who aren't really indicative of their race at large. I think Rath has a pretty good handle on Trazyn as a dramatic character, but the book still lapsed into the wacky Necrons archetype too often for my liking.

 

Your critique of time between the books is sort of how I feel about TDK vs IatD when it comes to Necron head space. Namely, things like the revulsion of biological processes, obsessions with cleanliness, the lack of feeling and their mental inability to cope with the passing of ages, and the whole several-minds-in-one-body angle really impressed me compared to the less in-depth look at how Trazyn and Orikan think.

 

I'd also like to defend TDK in that they do retain a different view of time, just in the other direction. I love that they frequently speed themselves up relative to time's normal passing in combat, and when they need to work out problems. And in fairness to the situation, long-form Necron timescale is sort of moot in the face of a human timescale invasion.

[grailkeeper]

I guess we were looking for different things. You were looking more for insights into Necrons- their lore and pysche, and I was looking more to be entertained. Both equally valid aims.

[sitnam]

I mean we are all looking to be entertained. I found the banter between Oltyx and himselves very entertaining.

 

I get what you mean (entertaining for yourself(, I just think the way you said it implies Roomsky wasn't looking for entertainment

[Petitioner's City]

Thanks for posting about this, I've started and it is indeed excellent :)

[Tyriks]

I'm trying to avoid spoilers here. I bought the book when it came out, haven't started it yet. Does it work as a standalone novel, or does it need the second book to make sense of things? I tend not to like starting a series before it's over, but this has had such good reactions I am tempted to give it a read now.

[Roomsky]

I'm trying to avoid spoilers here. I bought the book when it came out, haven't started it yet. Does it work as a standalone novel, or does it need the second book to make sense of things? I tend not to like starting a series before it's over, but this has had such good reactions I am tempted to give it a read now.

 

The main character has a complete arc, and the plot that takes up the last 2/3rds of the book is resolved as well. Much of the setup from the first third is left for the second book to expand on, however.

 

It's definitely not wholly complete, but it still reads great on its own.